Habit-Forming
those practicing these things will not inherit the kingdom of God Galatians 5:21
Practicing – Habitual offender! If you’ve ever heard that term used to describe you or someone you know, the impact is pretty scary. By the time you reach the stage of habitual offender, the justice system has given up on you. There is almost no chance that things will turn around in your life. You are in for some very long, hard time.
When Paul uses the Greek verb prasso he has the habitual offender in mind. This is a verb that describes a repeated and continual action. This person is being held captive to the sin which so easily besets each of us. This is addiction! When we reach the stage of spiritual habitual offender, we are no longer able to turn ourselves around. We can’t walk away. Now it’s ingrained in us. We will need some superior, outside help in order to recover – and even when we do recover, life will always be vulnerable to the call of the addict. That’s why “old places and old faces” are forbidden to anyone in serious recovery. “I admitted that I was powerless.” It’s too much for me to handle. I need a Savior!
Paul lists some pretty significant habitual acts. The whole story can be seen here, but for now, let’s notice that each of these is ultimately prompted by my will to power. I want what I want when I want it. I want sex. I want eroticism. I want to be my own god – or at least have a god that I can barter with. I want superhuman powers of control. And if you get in my way, then I want you gone. I want what you have. I want to be right. I want to numb myself when things don’t go the way I want them to. I want to party. I don’t care who I injure, slight, slander or oppress as long as I get what I want. Ah, you’ll say, “But I’m not like that. I care about others. I put them first. I have learned to control my outbursts and my self-medication.” And you’re right. With God’s immeasurable assistance, you and I have become someone new. We don’t act that way anymore – at least not habitually. But we can never forget that down in the sub-basement, behind the water heater, our addict waits for the opportunity to rise once more to the daylight and being to clamor for attention. God provides a way of escape – not you, not me. That old addict is much too savvy and much too powerful for us. We need the Savior to defeat him.
There are other habits that we can practice with abandon. Paul lists these too. The solution to addictive behavior is not white-knuckle endurance. It is replacement therapy. Every time the addict makes a move for the basement stairs, practice replacing that moment of teshuqah (desire) with Paul’s second list: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Of course, in Greek these are all nouns. But if you are going to use Hebrew replacement therapy, you will have to convert each of these nouns to a verb. Then, just do it! God will take care of the rest.
Topical Index: practice, prasso, habitual offender, replacement, teshuqah, desire, Galatians 5:21
Skip … a very nice insight into the battle between “the new person” and “the old person”.
Years ago when Adonai (Praise Him) pulled me out of the depths of my depravity I often wondered why the walk was not easier. Somehow I was thinking that I should be invulnerable to the old ways …. invulnerable to the vast array of temptations surrounding me. What a surprise I had coming …. unwise young man 🙂
I have learned that there is still no means of preventing the onslaught/attempts of the old man; as you declare Skip …. it is clamoring to get back outside! It simply rears up at times without any explanation. Which proves as well that it is not me but that fabric woven within me as part of the old creation. And without Ruach HaKodesh we would of course be doomed and unable to fight such a force.
The replacement therapy you depict is echoed by James: 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to Elohim. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Notice that submission is the prelude to resistance. As you point out Skip … our solution is not holding out (white-knuckle endurance) but giving in to the one Who has the power and dominion. But we ourselves are active participants in the process as well; we need to be looking for the “therapeutic outlet” …. a specific tactical purpose/action that can be undertaken in place of the “bad habit” by the power of Ruach HaKodesh! It might be prayer; it may be an act of kindness … whatever the situation may dictate or offer!
Ultimately I believe this implies that our transformation and re-birth gives us the spiritual power to run the race but the effective runners are those that train often and stay in shape for the race. 🙂
Shalom
Agreed…the Ultimate work-out is to do what Jesus said…listen to the Pharisees but don’t do what they do. He meant that they could talk the talk but not walk the walk. Sound familiar? Look at the modern day professor of faith today vs the actual possessor of faith. The difference is the one who does what the Word says and is not a hearer only.
I made reference to this in an earlier post. When I realized that my salvation was not only for my ability to feel cleansed and experience the life of abundance that God wants and it was not about me but about glorifying Him, that revelation put an entirely different perspective on life. That put me in another realm, so to speak,for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. All the innate evil within my heart needed crucifying and only through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit that gives continual newness of life am I ABLE to do that. It all depends on Him and HIS power, yet I must make a choice as to whom I will serve…myself or Him.
Mary …. well put; “when you were provided revelation”! 🙂
Revelation more accurately depicts our coming to know this truth that you declare. Hence the reason why the Jewish religious establishment wasn’t walking the walk. They could mentalize matters but it was not spiritually embedded within them! Their hearts were not circumcised!
Skip,
I have personally benefitted from the replacement therapy and it works with amazing power!
“…the old has gone, the new has come.” 1 Cor. 5:17
For me, I had to “hear” directly from God that my chosen habits could only be remedied in His power, not my own. All my old man efforts failed miserably.
He graciously allowed my wilderness years to be what they needed to be, so that on that one day He finally “spoke” to me, I truly “heard” and truly obeyed.
Instantly, I decided to repent and instantly the desires that had kept me in bondage for over 20 years simply disappeared in the twinkling of an eye.
“Hearing” can do that to a person!!!
“He who has ears, let him hear”. Mat 11:15
Very cool indeed brother! ….. Sh’ma Yisrael!
Your imagery — down in the sub-basement, behind the water heater, our addict waits for the opportunity to rise once more to the daylight and begin to clamor for attention. Wonderful! Exposes him, and makes it easier for us to identify and begin replacement therapy. Thanks again.
I agree with Donna and would add that for me reading Today’s Word each day is a big part of my replacement therapy 🙂
Got a bad case of the I wants?? Fantastic. It means you’re alive! We are all born hungry!! Live passionately with a good appetite. Just be careful where you feed and what you consume. It has been said when Yeshua “moves in” (at our invitation BTW..) one of the leading indicators of our new birth is a “change” in our “want-to’s”. One of my former pastor/teachers said this: When Jesus entered my life and I entered His, I found I could sin all I wanted to. (then, a noticed pause for effect) As a matter of fact, I sin “more than I want to.” (with of course, another pause). Then, his final statement was: “I don’t want to.” Before I was “captured by Christ”, I ran to sin. Couldn’t wait for it. Loved it. Because of the radical transforming new desire for holiness,today, I run from sin and loathe it. I know (personally) what that stuff (sin) will do to a man, his family and his friends and it is not a pretty sight. My desire today is to live a live pleasing to the ONE who gave me life and liberty. Yeshua said to Lazarus who was still bound in those stinking grave clothes, “release him and let him go.” Ask our Father for Him to release you and to renew your mind with His mind, then “let” (allow) this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus. With G-d all things are possible. I love belonging to the Shepherd. My life has been and is being radically transformed. The Bible is becoming to me – the life-giving word of G-d. There has been placed in my heart a new life and love for all humanity. I love to pray. I love to worship. I love to sing praises to our great G-d. I love being clean. I love being free. Daily I continue in my ever new relationship with Him and daily He loads me with benefits and blessings. What an incredible life we enjoy in knowing Christ and being a part of the world-wide family of G-d. If (I should say when actually) you are tempted to some false and fake allurement, use the temptation as a trigger to pray. Call upon His name right then and there- a quick, heart-felt Jesus help me now.. and see what happens! Make this a “holy habit” and deliverance and freedom will be on the way! G-d is so good..
Replacement, maybe. But Paul in Romans is talking about “death” not “replacement.” Check out what is being discussed in Romans 6:5-13. Begins by establishing our union with Christ..union with Him in His death; union with Him in His resurrection. Then it says our old self was crucified with Him so that old body of sin might be done away with. Therefore, the chains of slavery to sin have been broken (power outage)…So then, if we have died with Christ, we also believe that we will also live with Him. Christ conquered sin and death; and so have we! He died to put sin to death “once for all” (finished work); but the life He lives, He lives to God (for us, an ongoing reality of Christ’s finished work)….With these truths in mind and as the source and resource for everything that will follow…..I am told to count or reckon myself dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. But the struggle with my “addiction” still isn’t over. What’s next? Something very practical that begins with the “Therefore” in verse 12 of Romans 6 – 1. I must not let sin reign in my mortal body so that I end up obeying its evil desires (new Master) 2. I must not offer the parts of my body to sin as instruments of wickedness (avoid the things that will do me in) 3. Rather, I must offer myself to God (become His slave – v 22) consistent with one who has been brought from death to life 4. And finally, I must take these same parts of my body and offer them to Him as instruments of righteousness…..avoid evil by doing good.
So when I am tempted to return to these basement temptations and addictions that will only lead to slavery to sin and death, I must remember Whose I am! I must remember that these no longer have power over me as they once did. I must remember Who I now belong to and bring the full power of the resurrection (by means of the Spirit of God) into play by “counting” my life in Him as true (I must choose). Then I must turn from the temptation to do what I know I should not do and must not do, into an activity of righteousness. E.g. Tempted to use my “slutty” mouth to tear someone down? How about using that same mouth to bless someone with praise and encouragement? In other words, use the very body parts that would otherwise be used for sinfulness and turn that same body part into something useful for righteousness. Sounds like a very practical reminder to avoid addicting behaviors. And this is done by a moment-by-moment and with a conscious “offering” of my whole self to God (Rom 12:1-2)….Sounds easy right? Ah, not so fast…read Romans 7 which basically Paul tells us that not only is the Christian life difficult, well, its actually impossible apart from living the reality of being in Christ and which means a continuous living in the righteousness of God while drawing on the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of life! (Romans 8).
One more quick point: I love the very last phrase of Gal 5:22-23: “Against such things there is no law.” If we define and live correctly these fruit of the Spirit, then don’t worry, no one (not even God or His Torah) will be putting you in jail for bearing this kind of fruit. But this is supernatural fruit (fruit of the Spirit) not fruit you are going to be able to create.
Thanks David. I enjoyed reading every word.
Wow! Having been set free from addiction I know about that basement, I stay out of it. Thank God for his power for only in Him can I live this amazing overcoming life.
When I was saved in Oct. 2002, some of my long time habits changed instantly, e.g. impatience, bad temper. Some took a little longer like anger on the road (it wasn’t road rage, but almost) and addiction to pornography. Because of a bad back and headaches, I had been addicted to Vicodin and Lortabs for over 10 years, but one night I asked G-d to free me from that addiction and have not had one since (over 7 years). I don’t have road anger any more and impatience is a thing of the past.
However, as a single (divorced) man who recognizes that sex outside of marriage is wrong, I still struggle from time to time with soft-core porn. I have tried to justify it as admiring the beauty of G-d’s creation, but in my heart, I know that it is really lust in disguise.
The reason I am writing this is to say that I choose to take that first step to go to a website. Most of the time, all I have to do to resist is to ask G-d for help and the desire fades, but sometimes, I am determined to just “peek” and that is where the enemy gets me.
Taking that first step is what we need help on and I have found that it is really as simple as asking His help to resist temptation and then obeying the leading that follows.
I have been changed and am NOT a slave to sin, but I still have to keep asking for His help to keep the enemy from coming in that slightly cracked door!
Thank You Lord for Your grace and mercy that keeps me, a sinner, aware of my weaknesses, but also aware that “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.”
Thank you, Jay. You’re not the only one on this road toward recovery. The battle is surely about the first step – and often the first step can’t be resisted without assistance. Thanks for connecting with many.